Ducati Hypermotard 698 vs KTM 690 SMC R Spec Comparison

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Ducati just announced their brand new 2024 Ducati Hypermotard 698, and we’re seriously considering ordering one. From what I’ve been reading, they’re due in US dealers sometime around February 2024. We currently have a 2021 KTM 690 SMCR Project Bike in the shop, and have really enjoyed modding and riding that bike over the last 2 years. This new Ducati seems to be a very very similar bike to the KTM 690 (and Husqvarna 701 SM and Gas Gas SM700), atleast on paper. We had been contemplating the addition of a Ducati Hypermotard 950 to our project bike lineup, but this smaller 698 has me leaning more in that direction.

I put together a real quick comparison spreadsheet (see below) and also some photos of our KTM 690 SMCR and the new Duc, to show how very similar the new Ducati even looks to the KTM. The Austrians might finally have a little competition in this middleweight supermoto segment, and hopefully we will get ahold of a Hyper 698, do some modifications to it, and be able to compare it to our highly modified KTM to see how they stack up.

Pricing on the two bikes is nearly the same unless you go for the Hyper 698 RVE Model. Ducati offers an RVE model in the Hyper 950 as well, but it seems very difficult to find and must be produced in limited numbers. Not sure if that will be the case for this 698 RVE. And the million dollar question is whether this 698 will ever have an SP model, or if Ducati will leave that to its 950 big brother. Here is pricing…
• 2024 Ducati Hypermotard 698 Mono: $12,995
• 2024 Ducati Hypermotard 698 Mono RVE: $14,495
• 2024 KTM 690 SMC R: $12,999